Wild World
by coprime
Summary: [Time Force] Trip reminisces on the last time he saw his parents.


Title: Wild World  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will. Please don't sue. The song, "Wild World," belongs to the Wise Guys.  
  
Summary: Trip reminisces on the last time he saw his parents.  
  
Warnings: None.  
  
Notes: Wow. Non-slash. I'm amazed. Song lyrics in //.  
  
Feedback: Yes please. If I don't know what was bad, it ain't ever gonna get better.  
  
~Wild World~  
  
Trip was isolated from the rest of the Time Force Rangers. It was subtle, but it was there. The most obvious symbol was his bucket hat. He had to wear it in public to cover his forehead gem, but his friends knew who he was. He didn't have to wear it around them, yet he did. And nobody seemed to notice.  
  
He wasn't suicidal or depressed or anything. Actually, he was a very happy-go-lucky person. It was just...on occasion something hit home about how different he was and how circumstances were forcing him to fit the norm when he very clearly didn't.  
  
Sometimes it was a cultural reference one of the Rangers would make that he didn't get, having been raised on Xybria. Or maybe a movie would have a surprise party, a concept he was almost totally unfamiliar with. A planet full of psychics made it impossible to keep secrets. And then, speaking of psychics, he didn't understand why it upset Lucas so much when he used his powers in everyday life. To him, they were an everyday type of thing, not something requiring the fuss Lucas liked to make.  
  
When those brief moments hit, he missed his parents and Xybria and the easygoing knowledge of just intrinsically understanding someone. And he would remember the last time he had seen his parents in person-- at his Time Force Academy graduation.  
  
(flashback, June 2999)  
  
The formal graduation ceremony was being held on an open-air stage, with a scenic view of Silver Hills in the background. To the far right of the stage stood an old-fashioned wooden podium, behind which stood a lieutenant with a list of the graduates' names. Beside it, a Time Force Captain and his right-hand man stood, ready to present the new officers with their badges. The cadets were lined up on the other side of the stage. Family and friends of the graduates were in chairs set up in front of the stage.  
  
Trip stood up on the stage, along with his two hundred-odd other classmates, and tried not to fidget in his itchy white dress uniform. His green hair felt awkward plastered against his head with some sort of hair care product in a futile attempt to make it neat. He couldn't see his parents in the audience, but he could reach out and feel their presence with his mind. Their serene pride helped to allay his nervousness.  
  
In the beginning, when he announced to his parents that he wanted to be a Time Force Officer, they had tried to dissuade him. Xybrians were ill-suited for law enforcement. They lacked the physical strength of other races, and their psychic abilities could cause trouble if they got sucked into the mind of one of the criminals they were trying to arrest. And besides, his parents had argued, he was so intelligent it seemed like a waste of his talent.  
  
Trip had been adamant however. He wanted to be a Time Force Officer. Since there was no swaying their son, his parents had decided to support his decision. And now, he was standing up on stage, the only Xybrian in the class, about to graduate.  
  
Eventually his name was called,  
  
"Trip Regis,"  
  
and he walked over to the captain holding his badge for him. The captain pinned it onto his chest, and then they shook hands. Trip received a soft-spoken,  
  
"Good job,"  
  
from the captain before walking to rejoin his class.  
  
Afterwards, there was a reception with refreshments. The new officers had to stay onstage for pictures and couldn't join immediately. When they were allowed to leave, Trip spotted his parents almost immediately. His mom's long, dark green hair was pulled elegantly back and piled atop her head. An electric blue chemise draped her small figure. His father, slightly taller than the average Xybrian, was dressed smartly in a gray suit. He covered his bald head with a matching fedora.  
  
When he reached them, his parents pulled their son into a tight hug. As he pulled away, Trip could almost literally see their happiness for him shining in their eyes. The trio made the rounds at the reception, congratulating people, catching up with others, even if Trip frequently ran off to be with his friends.  
  
At the end of the party, Trip met up with his parents once more. He was going out to eat with his friends in order to celebrate some more but still wanted to see his parents to their flyer.  
  
His memory then became a little fuzzy. Trip knew he said goodbye and they gave him some advice and everyone had said that they loved one another, but the actual words spoken had departed from his remembrance. He still knew what their advice was though. They had wished the best for him but tempered that by telling him to be careful. There were a lot of evil things out there. They'd parted and hadn't seen one another after except through the vid screen.  
  
And now, Trip looked back at this advice with a bittersweet smile. Thanks to Ransik, he had gotten very familiar with the evil in the world. If his parents could see him now, he didn't know if they would even recognize him. He didn't even have a photograph to remind him like Katie did.  
  
The only thing he did have was this one song. He didn't know who sang it, didn't know anything about it actually. He'd heard it while working on a solo odd job, painting a room for a family that had just moved in. The daughter had blasted the easy-going song throughout the house. He'd asked her if she could give him a copy. She'd said sure, no problem, and before he'd left, he had a CD with not only the song he requested but also several others. He assumed that they were by the same group.  
  
He stood from where he'd been sitting, Jen's normal brooding spot out on the roof, and headed back into the Clock Tower, intent on seeking out the CD. After reminiscing, he needed some comfort. In his workroom was the antique player he'd bought after Wes had told him what he needed to play the silver disk. Slipping on his headphones, he began the song.  
  
//Now that I've lost everything to you  
I see you want to start something new  
And it's breaking my heart you're leavin'  
(Baby, I'm grievin')  
But if you want to leave, take good care  
I hope you have a lot of nice things to wear  
But there are a lot of nice things turned bad out there  
  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
It's hard to get back just upon a smile  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
I'll always remember you like a child, girl  
  
You know, I've seen a lot of what the world can do  
And it's breaking my heart in two  
'Cause I never want to see you sad, girl  
(Don't be a bad girl)  
But if you want to leave, take good care  
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there  
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware  
  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
It's hard to get back just upon a smile  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
I'll always remember you like a child, girl  
  
You know, I've seen a lot of what the world can do  
And it's breaking my heart in two  
'Cause I never want to see you sad, girl  
(Baby, I love you)  
But if you want to leave, take good care  
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there  
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware  
  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
It's hard to get back just upon a smile  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
I'll always remember you like a child, girl  
  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
It's hard to get back just upon a smile  
Ooh, baby, baby, it's a wild world  
I'll always remember you like a child, girl// 


End file.
